In After Newspeak, Michael S. Gorham presents a cultural history of the politics of Russian language from Gorbachev and glasnost to Putin and the emergence of new generations of Web technologies. Gorham begins from the premise that periods of rapid and radical change both shape and are shaped by language. He documents the role and fate of the Russian language in the collapse of the USSR and the decades of reform and national reconstruction that have followed. Gorham demonstrates the inextricable linkage of language and politics in everything from dictionaries of profanity to the flood of publications on linguistic self-help, the speech patterns of the country's leaders, the blogs of its bureaucrats, and the official programs promoting the use of Russian in the so-called "near abroad."

Gorham explains why glasnost figured as such a critical rhetorical battleground in the political strife that led to the Soviet Union’s collapse and shows why Russians came to deride the newfound freedom of speech of the 1990s as little more than the right to swear in public. He assesses the impact of Medvedev’s role as Blogger-in-Chief and the role Putin’s vulgar speech practices played in the restoration of national pride. And he investigates whether Internet communication and new media technologies have helped to consolidate a more vibrant democracy and civil society or if they serve as an additional resource for the political technologies manipulated by the Kremlin.

Preface
Acknowledgments
Note on Transliteration and Translations
Introduction: Ideologies, Economies, and Technologies of Language
1. The Soviet Legacy: From Political to Cultural Correctness
2. Glasnost Unleashed: Language Ideologies in the Gorbachev Revolution
3. Economies of Profanity: Free Speech and Varieties of Language Degradation
4. In Defense of the National Tongue: Guardians, Legislators, and Monitors of the Norm
5. Taking the Offensive: Language Culture and Policy under Putin
6. "Cyber Curtain" or Glasnost 2.0? Strategies for Web-based Communication in the New Media Age
Conclusion
Appendix: Sayings and Proverbs about Language

After Newspeak

"Micahel Gorham's After Newspeak: Language Culture and Politics in Russia from Gorbachev to Putin is an insightful and thought-provoking cultural history of the Russian language and its close connection to Russian politics in the period from Gorbachev’s perestroika to the early years of Putin’s third presidential term… Meticulously researched, wonderfully written, and full of vivid examples and compelling vignettes, After Newspeak is essential reading for anyone studying Russian politics, language, media, and national identity." – Anna Popkova, Western Michigan University, International Journal of Communication 11(2017)

After Newspeak

"In this book Gorham decided to survey a very dynamic and unstable period of Russian contemporary history that has not yet been studied from the perspective of language culture. . . . Gorham's innovative work, referring to numerous historical and socio-political contexts, not only enables a better undestanding of the last 25 years of the Russian Federation, but also offers a new perspective on the interrelation between language, culture, and politics."—Magda Dolinska-Rydzek, Europe-Asia Studies (June 2015)

After Newspeak

"There are very few books analyzing post-Soviet culture from the perspective of politics and vice versa. Michael Gorham's second monograph belongs to this rare and highly valuable breed, as it embraces the period from Mikhail Gorbachev’s glasnost to the anti-Putin protests of 2011–12. Michael Gorham has written a highly necessary book establishing a new approach to post-Soviet politics through the study of competition between language ideologies and rhetorical models warring for political

prominence. Written in a highly accessible manner and rich with unique factual material, it should become an essential part of diverse courses on post-Soviet culture, language, and politics on both the undergraduate and graduate levels."—Mark Lipovetsky, Slavic Review (vol. 74, no. 4)

After Newspeak

"After Newspeak productively combines language theory and a wealth of sources—from TV to paper journalism, political speeches to blogs—to advance an original argument that covers more than three decades of Russian culture. Michael S. Gorham's impressively meticulous and wide-ranging scholarship and consistently analytical treatment of the material persuasively demonstrates the interplay among language, identity, and politics. Rich in content and sophisticated in its conceptualization, this book should engage not only Slavists, but also anyone invested in understanding the power of language."—Helena Goscilo, The Ohio State University, author of Dehexing Sex: Russian Womanhood During and After Glasnost

After Newspeak

"After Newspeak is a great book that gives tremendous insight into Russia's political culture, and it is a sheer delight to read."—Eliot Borenstein, New York University, author of Overkill: Sex and Violence in Contemporary Russian Popular Culture

After Newspeak

"This fascinating book offers a sweeping analysis of Russia's changing 'language culture' in the past several decades, from the politics of language use and debates over language norms to the role Russian language plays in national identity, political culture, and international relations. But this is more than a book about language culture. From the stagnant discourse of post-Stalinist Soviet Union to the exciting linguistic openness of Gorbachev’s perestroika, from the violent

linguistic experimentation of the first post-Soviet decade to the authoritative linguistic grip and chaotic online utopia of Putin’s years, this book provides an extraordinary perspective on Russia's cultural and political history."—Alexei Yurchak, University of California, Berkeley, author of Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More: The Last Soviet Generation

Title After Newspeak

Subtitle Language Culture and Politics in Russia from Gorbachev to Putin